Dinos or Diatoms? *lots of pics under microscope*

[Thatreefguy88]

The tank is about 4 months old, and past several months it has had brown aglea that appears on the sandbed after lights come on. It has spread to the glass and rockwork. I have scrubed the rockwork which has helped tremendously on slowing the growth rate, in fact, it has almost completely been removed from the rock for 3 plus weeks. Black outs knock it down in the sandbed for a few days but it comes back. Pic under a microscope below.

 

[Miami Reef]

Mostly diatoms. I could be wrong, but I think I can see a little bit of chrysophytes, too.

@taricha ?

 

[Thatreefguy88]

Mostly diatoms. I could be wrong, but I think I can see a little bit of chrysophytes, too.

@taricha ?

I was leaning towards diatoms as well, but was confused when my silicate test (salifert) said it was at zero. I've tested my water source and it said zero as well. I suppose manual removal, and sand siphoning are probably my best options?

 

[Miami Reef]

I was leaning towards diatoms as well, but was confused when my silicate test (salifert) said it was at zero. I've tested my water source and it said zero as well. I suppose manual removal, and sand siphoning are probably my best options?

Make sure your RO/DI water is 0ppm in TDS. Even a little TDS can bring in a lot of silica. It’s one of the hardest chemical to remove, and it is one of the first to be released from exhausted DI resins.

Eventually the diatoms will starve out. However, I really don’t agree that starving diatoms will be beneficial. It can prevent toxic nasties and unpalatable algaes, such as dinos and chrysophytes from taking hold. I purposely dose silica to my tanks.

Can you add more herbivores? Snails, urchins, some types of fish (foxface, algae blenny)? The best way to control algae is with CUC and manual removal.

We all get algae. It’s just about selecting the beneficial ones, and keeping it under control with herbivores. Diatoms are herbivore and copepods’ favorite.

 

[taricha]

Mostly diatoms. I could be wrong, but I think I can see a little bit of chrysophytes, too.

@taricha ?

Yes diatoms, not our chrysophytes though, just a random single cell algae. Chrysophytes would be in a thick gel that separates the tiny spherical cells. These are clumped tightly.

 

[Thatreefguy88]

Make sure your RO/DI water is 0ppm in TDS. Even a little TDS can bring in a lot of silica. It’s one of the hardest chemical to remove, and it is one of the first to be released from exhausted DI resins.

Eventually the diatoms will starve out. However, I really don’t agree that starving diatoms will be beneficial. It can prevent toxic nasties and unpalatable algaes, such as dinos and chrysophytes from taking hold. I purposely dose silica to my tanks.

Can you add more herbivores? Snails, urchins, some types of fish (foxface, algae blenny)? The best way to control algae is with CUC and manual removal.

We all get algae. It’s just about selecting the beneficial ones, and keeping it under control with herbivores. Diatoms are herbivore and copepods’ favorite.

Yes, I can more. I have two turbos, 1 tuxedo urchin, and nassarius snails. I would love to add a Cucumber, I've just heard horror stories about them dying and wiping out a whole tank. Lol. Ok, thank you very much for your response. I very much appreciate your help and advice.

 

[Miami Reef]

Yes, I can more. I have two turbos, 1 tuxedo urchin, and nassarius snails. I would love to add a Cucumber, I've just heard horror stories about them dying and wiping out a whole tank. Lol. Ok, thank you very much for your response. I very much appreciate your help and advice.

I don’t recommend sea cucumbers. They aren’t very good algae eaters, and they die in most tanks.

Tuxedo urchins are great! They are work-horses.